“I denied Christ to stay alive”: viral torture victim John Ari Azi recounts kidnap ordeal says he was lured with a fake job offer

John Ari Azi, the young man whose torture video went viral a few weeks ago, has recounted the harrowing details of his abduction and his experience in the kidnappers’ den.

​Azi, who suffered immensely at the hands of his captors—often with his hands tied and legs chained to the ground—explained in the video of a church service posted on Facebook monitored by Church Times that he was lured into the trap by a phone call offering him a job.

​The Setup

​”They called me on the phone and asked me to come and do a job for them,” Azi recalled. “They even sent me transport fare. I assumed someone had referred them to me, so I decided to follow up. I traveled to Zaria, where they asked to meet me.”

​Upon arriving in Zaria, his suspicions began to grow. “When I got there, they arranged for a motorcyclist to pick me up at the park. At the park, they instructed the driver to take me to a village where the work was supposedly located.”

​Although he did not specify the nature of the work, Azi said that as soon as he stepped off the vehicle, his primary contact arrived to introduce himself. The man took him further into the village on another motorcycle. When Azi questioned where they were going, they told him not to worry, claiming they just wanted him to finish the work quickly so he could return to Zaria.

​The Encounter

​The situation took a terrifying turn at the final destination. Azi was confronted by men armed with high-grade weaponry. “I saw the kind of guns I had never seen in my life,” he said. “Even our security forces don’t use the kind of guns they were carrying.”

​To keep him calm, his escort claimed the armed man was simply a local village hunter. However, Azi soon realized the gravity of his situation. “I discovered they were Fulani, and at that point, I became very afraid. But I was helpless.”

​He was forced to cooperate. They ordered him to kneel, confiscated his phone and working tools, and forced him to change into different clothes and a mask.

​Interrogation and Journey to Zamfara

​The kidnappers began interrogating him about his connections in Jos, looking for wealthy links. “I told them I came from a poor background and that I work to assist my family’s survival,” Azi explained.

​His pleas fell on deaf ears. He was forced onto a motorcycle and driven for six hours to Zamfara. Despite the long journey, he noted with despair that no security personnel stopped them along the road. His face remained covered the entire time.

​Torture and a Crisis of Faith

​Since his father had passed away, Azi provided his elder brother’s phone number. The kidnappers initially demanded a ₦30 million ransom. To pressure his family, they tortured him during every negotiation call.

​Azi recounted a moment of spiritual crisis during the abuse. “They asked if I was a Christian. Because I was terrified of dying, I denied Christ in that moment.”

​However, the denial only seemed to worsen the situation. When the torture became unbearable, Azi instinctively cried out, “Jesus!” Hearing the name, the kidnappers increased the severity of the beating.

​”At that point, I was ready to die,” Azi said. “I confessed to them that I was indeed a Christian and said I was prepared for the end. From then on, they started mocking me, calling me ‘Pastor’ until the day I left.”

He said family and friends raised about N10 million that the kidnappers collected before he was released.

The post “I denied Christ to stay alive”: viral torture victim John Ari Azi recounts kidnap ordeal says he was lured with a fake job offer first appeared on Church Times Nigeria - News, features and more.